{"id":"f-80ae245e0c-47abf392-3ee0-51c3-a941-f05aec1e11c5","title":"'Some 97s Are Greater Than 100': Fans Hail Sanju Samson For Special Knock Vs WI","description":"Fans around India are going ga ga about Sanju Samson after his unbeaten 97 off 50 led India to a last-over win against West Indies.","timestamp":1772428500,"category":"sports","headline":"'Some 97s Are Greater Than 100': Fans Hail Sanju Samson For Special Knock Vs WI","modifiedHeadline":"Few 97s are greater than 100: Fans in awe of Sanju","subCategories":["scid_185ed133"],"subcategoriesName":["Cricket"],"region":"IN","bundleMetaData":{"bundleId":"6ff0e53c-03a9-4fac-a199-00040694f01a","bundleTitle":"Indian Cricket","cardData":null},"iabCategoryId":"491","iabCategoryName":"Cricket","fcSummary":"sanju samson delivered a career-defining unbeaten 97 off 50 balls, propelling india to a thrilling last-over victory against the west indies and securing their spot in the 2026 t20 world cup semi-final. overcoming a tumultuous period marked by shifting roles and inconsistent form, samson seized his opportunity, showcasing exceptional maturity and a blistering strike rate. his performance, reminiscent of gautam gambhir's iconic 2011 world cup score, resonated deeply with fans and secured india a semi-final clash with england.","summary":"Sanju Samson's unbeaten 97 propelled India to a last-over win vs WI, securing a 2026 T20 World Cup semi-final spot! Fans hail his special knock.","ctaUrl":"https://trends.glance.com/newz/news/IN/en/news18/f-80ae245e0c-47abf392-3ee0-51c3-a941-f05aec1e11c5","sourceUrl":"https://www.news18.com/cricket/some-97s-are-greater-than-100-fans-hail-sanju-samson-for-special-knock-vs-wi-ws-l-9937085.html","bannerImage":"https://g-mob.glance-cdn.com/public/fc/image/I12XZIz5CA30.webp","content":"

Sanju Samson played the knock of his lifetime, smashing an unbeaten 97 off 50 to take India to a narrow last-over win over the West Indies, and into the semi-final of the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup. With

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12 fours and four sixes and a strike-rate of 194 — the highest in the match for anyone who faced at least 15 deliveries — he etched his name forever into the history of Indian cricket as well as ICC tournaments.

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It was extremely special for it to be Samson. The batter has endured some rotten luck in the last few months. He was the first-choice opener before the 2025 Asia Cup but had to make way for Shubman Gill, who was also appointed the vice-captain. He couldn’t recreate his opening stats in the middle-order and was dropped, before being brought back again just before this World Cup after Gill failed in the role, too.

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Then, Samson let himself down with an extremely poor series against New Zealand. He was again dropped, this time for Ishan Kishan. This opportunity in the World Cup came only because of Abhishek Sharma’s struggles at the top of the order, which forced the team to break the Abhishek-Kishan stand. And in this knockout match, with everything on the line, when most others failed, Samson soared.

He started superbly, with a high tempo to give India a good start. Wickets fell from the other end, with Kishan and Abhishek going in the powerplay and Suryakumar Yadav hurting the innings with his 18 (16). But Samson showed exceptional maturity in finding a boundary or two almost every over.

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It ultimately came upon him to hit the winning runs, and he did it with aplomb, remaining unbeaten at 97. The number resonated with his fans, as it was the current head coach Gautam Gambhir’s score in the 2011 World Cup final, and they happily called it better than a century.

Check the best reactions here:

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97* from Sanju Samson today \uD83D\uDD25\uD83D\uDE39 pic.twitter.com/zpiZii9N4p
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— Rahul Patil (@BottomHandSix) March 1, 2026
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“Some 97s are greater than 100”
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Clinical Sanju Samson to rescue India ❤️
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Come out haters.
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— Sourav \uD83D\uDC3C (@travel_food_fcb) March 1, 2026
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Sanju Samson stepped up exactly when it mattered most and stood tall to finish the game in style! What an absolute masterclass of an innings. When he finds his rhythm, he’s simply unstoppable. Pure class, pure fire! pic.twitter.com/pNSSg729UQ
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— Vishakan Soundararajan (@Vishak_Sound) March 1, 2026
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Respect the name: Sanju Samson!!!
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— Ian Raphael Bishop (@irbishi) March 1, 2026
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Sanju Samson my goat pic.twitter.com/sIpKXSPEX3
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— Kad (@Kad_Silver) March 1, 2026
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What Sanju Samson showed today is extreme grit and resolved innings at Eden Gardens, take his play out and India wud have struggled to qualify for the #semifinal High impact chase mastered to excellence. Close 2nd to the chase master Kohli for Team India. Some 97 are indeed… pic.twitter.com/U9Jfwta7We
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— Sreeram Narayan (@sreespace) March 1, 2026
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It’s been soooo soooo long coming. But when it came, what a way for it to come. Sanju Samson has won India a knockout. Highest quality of batting. Was absolutely locked in from ball one. Glorious, glorious batsmanship.
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— Aaditya Narayan (@AadityaN_28) March 1, 2026
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Suryakumar Yadav almost mocked the reporter for asking if Sanju Samson could be brought in the XI. After a poor series against New Zealand, Gill fans wanted him to be replaced. Despite all that, here he comes and delivers in this must-win match for India. #T20WorldCup
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— Mohsin Kamal (@64MohsinKamal) March 1, 2026
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India will now meet England in the semi-final at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.

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'Some 97s Are Greater Than 100': Fans Hail Sanju Samson For Special Knock Vs WI

SUMMARY